


Keeping Company

by Tzudaeng



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, F/F, Idk how to get them together tbh, Mina is her employee, She has a daughter, Tzuyu is a ceo, domestic fluff ahead, oh tzuyu's a single parent now, they're just shy babies, this is an angst free zone, we'll see how it goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2020-09-07 20:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20315362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tzudaeng/pseuds/Tzudaeng
Summary: Mina wouldn't have minded if the meeting lasted a few more hours, really. Not if Tzuyu was the one speaking.





	1. Chapter 1

One smile.

Mina felt ashamed to admit it was all it took.

One smile from the new beautiful CEO and here she was, unable to concentrate on the paperwork in front of her. Just like that.

Sighing, Mina leaned back on her seat and threw her head back, frustrated. She had so much work to do. And at this rate, it was going to take her all day.

She closed her eyes to the sounds of her co-workers arguing which advertisement was better for their new product. 

Another sigh fell from her lips. Once again, she was slouching at her desk, reading through the files. She had to get this done one way or another.

One sip from her coffee.

Mina grabbed the next file.

Another sip.

Another file.

Bathroom break.

Another file. Another sip. Refill. Another sip.

Her back was sore by the time she was finished, her hands cramping. She stood up and stretched her arms. There wasn't much noise around the office now that it was past working hours. Those who were still at the office were getting ready to leave.

She adjusted her ponytail before grabbing her cup and drinking what little coffee was left in it.

"So much caffeine.."

Mina's eyes opened wide as she turned around. "A-Ah, Ms. Chou." She bowed slightly, her hands gripping the cup a little tighter.

"It's bad for you, you know."

Mina stayed silent, refusing to look into the woman's eyes. Even though she desperately wanted to get the conversation going and maybe see the one smile she came to admire so much.

The sharp clacks of the CEO's heels against the floor had Mina holding her breath.

Suddenly but slowly, gentle hands grabbed the cup from hers and put it on her desk.

"I hope you haven't overworked yourself today, Ms. Myoui. I'd hate it if one of my employees called in sick on my first week as a CEO."

Her friendly smile was the first thing Mina saw when she lifted her head. It was comforting. 

Until Mina noticed how close they were standing together and took a step back in surprise. The CEO's smile didn't falter and Mina was glad, she'd hate to ruin whatever this was.

Just before speaking, she wet her dry lips and parted them slightly, trying to look confident. "You don't have to worry about me, Ms. Chou. I tend to look after myself well."

"I'd like to believe that's the case."

When the tall woman crossed her arms, Mina couldn't help but admire how strong and successful she looked. Only a second later, their eyes met again and Mina felt her eyes burning with tears, embarrassed at getting caught. She hang her head low again.

"It's quite late." The CEO spoke, her soft voice the only thing breaking the deafening silence in the office. "Will you be okay driving?" Mina watched as the younger woman walked away and pressed a button, calling the elevator.

Never in her life did Mina tidy her things up so quick.

Throwing her coat around her shoulders and grabbing her bag, she hurried over to the elevator that her boss was keeping open for her.

"I take the subway." The doors closed.

"This late?"

Mina smiled at her concerned voice. "I'll be fine, Ms. Chou." 

The elevator announced they were on the ground floor as its doors opened. They both walked out, side by side.

"I could give you a ride?"

Mina stopped walking and turned, looking up at the taller woman. Her mouth agape. "I wouldn't want to bother you."

The CEO laughed. "Actually, you would be doing me a _favor_ by accepting. I really like driving."

Mina let out a soft laugh that she hid with her hand before finally nodding, accepting the kind offer.

"Also, please call me Tzuyu outside of work. Ms. Chou is too formal for me and I'm still not really used to it." When the CEO looked down bashfully, like she was embarrassed to request such a thing, red dusting her cheeks– Mina had never been so sure in her life she had a crush on someone.

***

  
"That is all." Everyone got up from their seats after the CEO did, eager to leave the room after the past tiring two hours. 

Well, Mina was an exception. As she sat there, pen in hand, she smiled softly at the CEO who shyly chuckled at something one of her employees said, dimple appearing. Mina wouldn't have minded if the meeting lasted a few more hours, really.

Noticing the very few people in the room and not wanting to leave last, Mina grabbed her notes and finally stood up. Without sparing even a glance in Tzuyu's direction on her way out, she left.

On her way, she filled herself a steaming hot cup of coffee.

Once she got to her desk and put her notes neatly in her drawer to view them later, she grabbed the cup resting near her laptop.

The taste of sugar washed over her mouth as she took a sip of her coffee. Mina liked her coffee sweet, regardless of many others in the office assuming bitter black coffee was her favorite.

"I really hope that's your first cup of the day."

Mina burned her tongue on the coffee. She jumped just a bit at the instant pain, looking up to find her boss staring at her with files in her hands.

"Second."

Tzuyu laughed. Mina felt herself relax at the melodic sound.

"I actually came to ask you something." The CEO clutched at the files she kept secure against her chest with both hands. "What are your thoughts on the topics we discussed at the meeting?"

_You've_ _been_ _really_ _quiet_, goes unsaid but Mina's sharp enough to pick it up from the tip of Tzuyu's tongue. 

Mina was surprised. She was always quiet during the meetings because she felt nervous to speak up in front of so many people, but this was the first time a CEO (or anyone else, really) asked her thoughts in private. It brought a smile to her face.

"I agree with the new route we're taking to promote our products, Ms. Chou. I have no complaints."

"Good to know." Tzuyu looked down with a small smile. A few moments of awkward silence later, the CEO pressed her lips together. "Well then...I'll leave you to it."

The soft smile never left Mina's face as she watched her boss leave.

Their small interaction fueled her mood up the rest of the day and Mina got things done quicker than ever. It went without saying that Ray was very pleased to find his owner home early.

***

It had been about four months since Chou Tzuyu became the CEO. Things went smoothly than ever and their sales (that were already high) considerably increased thanks to Tzuyu's smart business decisions.

Mina liked going to work now. Rather than groaning about wanting to sleep more and snoozing four alarms, she threw herself out of bed as soon as she was awake. Going to work meant seeing Tzuyu after all. 

Today was one of those days where she didn't have that much work to do. Normally she would skip lunch and drown herself in paperwork to be done as fast as possible. But today...there wasn't a reason to skip lunch, so she grabbed her coat and purse.

When the elevator door opened, she came face to face with the CEO. Tzuyu mumbled an apology for nearly bumping into her, and without another word she left. Mina frowned at how unlike Tzuyu this was, noting how her steps looked urged and nervous.

Frowning, she decided lunch could wait.

She asked around, wondering why Tzuyu was so stressed all of a sudden.

Wendy, the lead of the marketing team, was the one who answered her question. "I heard some beginner company tried to sue us yesterday. Apparently we copied something of theirs? Or so they say. I'm sure it's nothing. Dumbass companies always try to sue others to gain publicity."

This explained how nervous Tzuyu looked.

It was understandable that the new CEO was worried about this, considering she didn't have many experience and it was the first time she was facing a lawsuit against her company. Mina on the other hand, knew this wasn't something to be concerned about except for the huge pile of paperwork it would bring.

As Mina sat outside a restaurant, slowly eating the food she ordered, her thoughts were of Tzuyu's worried expression at the elevator. It bothered her that the CEO hadn't left the company building for lunch like she usually did at 1pm. Yes, Mina knew when she went out and came back. No, she wasn't stalking her, her desk was just right near the CEO's office, that's all.

Suddenly, Mina felt very confident to do something she never thought she would do as she walked towards the company building.

Now out of the elevator, she took hesitant steps towards the CEO's office. Without giving herself a chance to rethink, she knocked and a voice immediately welcomed her in.

Mina tried not to fidget as Tzuyu's sleepy eyes stared at her for a moment, the lively glint in them gone.

"Oh, Ms. Myoui." Tzuyu continued to organize the files on her huge desk, occasionally glancing at her laptop. "I'm afraid now isn't a good time."

It would be a lie if Mina said she wasn't expecting the smile Tzuyu always gave her when she came in. But there was nothing of the sort that greeted her this time, the shuffling of papers didn't stop and the CEO barely looked at her.

"Ms. Chou, have you had lunch yet?" Although Mina felt discouraged, she wasn't just going to leave when she came this far.

Tzuyu once again looked up, finally noticing the bags of food in her employee's hands.

With Tzuyu's eyes on the food, Mina walked closer to the big desk, her hair falling over her shoulder. "I brought some...food for you." She put the bags down in front of Tzuyu, right on the papers she was working on.

The pen clicked once when Tzuyu hit it against the desk and sighed. "I'm..." She looked up, smiled, and took the packed food out of the bags. "Thank you. You're too kind."

Mina revelled in Tzuyu's smile, feeling great accomplishment over such a simple thing. "This isn't the first time this has happened. The company will be fine. So please, don't worry so much."

Lips parted and eyes slightly wide, Tzuyu blinked a few times. "R-Right. Of course." She then chuckled, her red lips pursing. "You're too good to me, Ms. Myoui. I'm a bit embarrassed." 

Mina fought the urge to hide her face in her hands as it flushed bright pink.

"Would you like to join me? Or have you already eaten?"

"I have." She watched as the CEO took a huge bite out of the burger, while somehow still managing to look cute. Suddenly she looked more like the twenty-four-year-old that she was and not like a CEO who ran a huge company. Mina smiled softly. "I'll take my leave then,"

Tzuyu chewed faster and swallowed down the bite, "Wait!" She yelled when Mina started to move. Her employee turned around as Tzuyu walked and stopped right in front of her. She grinned playfully before holding something out.

"Ketchup?"

"I know you like it. You can take it if you want. I have enough on my burger."

Mina laughed. The mere fact that Tzuyu knew this caused her heartbeat to quicken. "Okay then, thank you. Guess I'll put this with the rest in my ketchup drawer."

"You have a ketchup drawer." It was supposed to be a question, but it came as a statement Tzuyu sounded astonished at.

"Of course I do. You don't?" _How_ was Mina keeping this conversation alive? She was quite shocked to be able to even function properly when Tzuyu was wearing that dress. The beige dress that in Mina's opinion, was totally not suited for work. 

"Maybe I should." Tzuyu smiled.

A knock on the door made them both jump.

The CEO didn't wait to answer. "Yes, come in."

As soon as the man entered, he started ranting to the young CEO. "Ms. Chou our game development team is having problems with the publishers. They want us to release the game sooner than the date we agreed on and people are panicking. We can't do it, it's impossible. We're already behind schedule because of the sudden–"

Tzuyu nodded as the man rambled on in panic, looking down at the file that was pushed to her forcefully. "Mr. Joon. Let's calm down, first. Take a deep breath."

Mr. Joon took a deep breath, his chest rising up. "I'm sorry for barging in like this. We were very concerned, so..." He breathed out, adjusting his tie that felt like it was choking him.

The CEO flipped the next page in silence, frowning, "I'll have a talk with our publisher. Though I'm afraid our contract clearly stated they could move the release date however they wanted. I also remember you telling me it wouldn't be a problem. "

"Ms. Chou," the man's voice was cracking under the pressure, almost crying.

Tzuyu smiled. "Well, I can be very persuasive. I know a few tricks to make them change their minds." Tzuyu's eyes met Mina's. "Ms. Myoui, could you bring me the file of our last game project that was cancelled and the records of previous payments we've received by the same publisher?"

Mina nodded, her stomach flipping upside down. She felt her crush on the CEO get bigger under Tzuyu's intense stare and sudden aura change. "Right away, Ms. Chou."

***

Mina breathed in the fresh air, watching as droplets of rain raced down the window. The rain had stopped just a few minutes ago, but the sun was already out, smiling down.

With a happy sigh, she went back inside and got dressed. A little bit makeup. No time to have breakfast or she'd be late. And Mina was never late.

Giving Ray a light kiss on the head, Mina scratched behind his ears. The dog's tail kept wagging happily as he followed Mina walking towards the door with keys in her hand. "I'll see you later, Ray!" Blowing a one last kiss to her dog, Mina shut the door and locked it.

On her way to the subway, her phone buzzed– she always had it on silent when she wasn't home. She didn't like drawing attention.

It was a message from Sana. 

_Minari, I picked up Ray's favorite treat like you asked but the door is locked D:_

Mina quickly typed a reply,

_Stop acting like you don't have my spare key, I know you took it_

Her phone buzzed with another message.

_...i got found out :3_

Mina hid her little chuckle behind her hand, shaking her head fondly before slipping her phone back in her pocket.

"Good morning, Myoui."

"Morning." She showed a small smile as she entered the office. Taking off her coat, she sat down, unable to stop herself from glancing at the CEO's office every now and then.

Tzuyu didn't come out.

Lunch break– still no sight of Tzuyu.

"Ah, Ms. Chou left this morning for a work trip." One of her co-workers must have noticed the way she kept staring at the CEO's office. "She'll be gone for two weeks, I think. You didn't know?"

"No," Mina shook her head and tore her gaze away, her thin long fingers moving along the keyboard, typing faster than before.

As time went on and she continued to work, Mina wondered if the office was always this dull before Tzuyu became the CEO.

***

It wasn't two weeks. It was two weeks and three days. Mina didn't even know she was counting until her colleague said it had been two weeks since Tzuyu had last entered the company. Mina immediately corrected him in her mind: two weeks and three days.

Annoying as it was, life went on without Chou Tzuyu. Mina missed her walking around the office, but she wasn't ready to admit that just yet.

It was 11am. As she was doodling on one of the unneeded files that would probably go to trash soon, the elevator doors opened. Series of shouts filled the office, making Mina look up.

It was Tzuyu. She looked even thinner than she was before (which made Mina frown), her skin a little more tanned, wearing a simple white shirt tucked into her pants with high heels. Her hair was the same shade of brown but more curly as it fell down her shoulders. She looked... beautiful. Charming.

Mina slowly stood up but didn't get close. Tzuyu was surrounded by her employees, welcoming her back, complimenting her tan and teasing her for being late to work. Tzuyu laughed it all off, handing small gifts to everyone with that famous dimpled smile. Once they were all preoccupied with the presents, Tzuyu looked around the office.

Mina looked away so their eyes wouldn't meet. This didn't stop Tzuyu from approaching.

"Ms. Myoui," She sounded so happy to be back. "This one's for you. Don't tell others but I...I put a lot more thought to your present," She whispered, grinning playfully as she handed Mina a little box, wrapped in mint green paper.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Mina gently took the gift from Tzuyu's hands. She unwrapped it, grabbing the little box inside and taking its lid off.

A small cactus.

"I remembered your desk being a little empty and figured you'd appreciate a little company." Tzuyu's dimple was still there, and Mina wanted to poke it. "Do you like it?" 

Mina turned the tiny cactus around, observing it.

When her employee didn't answer, Tzuyu sighed, her cheeks tinted red. "You don't like it, do you? I should have brought somet–"

"How often should I water it?"

"...once a week. I think. Or whenever the soil looks dry..."

Mina had her eyes still on the small cactus, pressing her lips together and smiling at her new 'friend'. "It's so cute."

Tzuyu coughed into her hand. "It really is."

***

It sort of became a thing without them noticing.

Tzuyu brought her lunch once, to thank her for that one time. A few days later, Mina couldn't help but bring her a part of her meal, because the CEO seemed to forget it was lunch break. They ate together in Tzuyu's office that day, without any words being exchanged. (Usually with most people Mina would feel the need to fill the silence, but Tzuyu's presence wasn't like anyone else's. The CEO managed to make her feel comfortable but excited at the same time. Mina loved it.)

Eventually, it became a routine. One of them would buy enough for two and they'd eat in the CEO's office. Some days Tzuyu would call Mina, and some days Mina would knock on her door. Either way, they always ended up sitting on Tzuyu's couch side by side like old friends.

Mina didn't expect today to be different.

She checked the clock on her desk before closing her laptop. Her tiny cactus was slightly bigger now, adding a lively color to her plain desk. With a small smile playing on the edge of her lips, Mina stood up. She grabbed her lunch, the one that Momo made for her the other day. They lived in the same apartment building, and Momo visited her almost all the time. Recently she got into cooking and Mina had to admit that she liked having a neighbor/friend who knew how to cook. Homecooked meals were the best. And Momo's were always extra delicious.

She knocked on the door. No response came, which led her to frown. Debating whether or not it would be okay to go inside without permission, Mina ultimately decided the CEO wouldn't fire her if she did. So she pushed the door open slowly. The sight of Tzuyu with her head resting on her desk, her hair sprawled across the files, her hand loosely grasping the pen that was just about to slide between her fingers– and welp, there it goes. The pen was on the floor now. The sound of it hitting the ground startled Tzuyu awake, she hummed in discomfort before lifting her head up. Her usually perfect brown locks were a mess, her eyes were barely open, lips pursed. She lazily looked around.

Mina felt the need to sneak away when she realized how long she'd been standing near the door, staring at her boss quietly like a creep.

Tzuyu smiled at her with her eyes closed. "Hi," She leaned back on her chair and stretched her arms out, groaning. Mina noted how loose Tzuyu's tie was, first few buttons of her shirt unbuttoned, her collarbones exposed.

Mina shut the door finally, taking steps towards Tzuyu with a shy smile. "Hi."

Tzuyu hid her face behind her hands, "I'll go freshen up a bit. I probably look like a mess right now." She stood up.

"Not really," Mina mumbled but it was too quiet for anybody to hear.

When Tzuyu returned from the washroom, Mina had already taken out all the food and prepared them on the coffee table.

Tzuyu slowly sat down on the couch next to her employee, observing the food. "These don't look like takeout."

"My friend is into cooking nowadays. She made them."

"Are you guys living together or...?"

Mina shook her head and grabbed one of the plates. "She lives next door."

"Oh." Tzuyu picked up her chopsticks. "Please give her my thanks, these look amazing. I don't even know where to start."

Mina supressed a smile. "Try the rice balls."

Nodding, Tzuyu reached out. Then all of a sudden, she flinched back, clutching her stomach with a frown. She looked like she was in pain.

"W-What's wrong? Are you okay?" Mina placed her hand on Tzuyu's thigh in panic, rubbing her shoulder with the other.

"Yeah–" She sighed, "Yeah, I'm okay." Tzuyu's face relaxed and she straightened her back. "Period cramps. They're worse than usual today."

Mina retracted her hands and grabbed her plate, throwing a sympathetic look at the CEO. "Have you taken any painkillers?"

Tzuyu shrugged, finally grabbing a rice ball. "I don't like taking medicine."

"Then go home. Rest. You're the CEO."

Tzuyu laughed. "I can't just do that."

"Sure you can."

Tzuyu shook her head, blowing on the noodles between her chopsticks to cool them. "There's too many things I need to look over. Our marketing team sent in their new ideas, the video game divison's lead designer is in disagreement with the other designers so I have to settle things between them. Not to mention, I also have to prepare a presentation for the meeting with our funders. It's due tomorrow by the way, and I haven't started on it."

Rolling her eyes, Mina chewed on the bread. "The new ideas can wait, I can help things out in the video game division– I'm familiar with the team, and you can prepare the presentation from home."

At the look Tzuyu gave her, Mina cleared her throat, suddenly shy. Refusing to meet her eyes, she continued. "Yes, you are the CEO, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself. Ask for help and we'll do our best. We're basically getting paid for that."

Tzuyu leaned her head on the older girl's shoulder. Mina flinched a little at the unexpected action. "If you continue being so nice to me, I might get used it." Her low voice was on the edge of a whisper, smooth and closer.

Mina looked away, her mouth felt dry, the words that she really wanted to say stuck on her tongue. "Just go home." Were the only ones that broke free much to her dismay.

Tzuyu let out a laugh. 

As they stayed like that, the food slowly getting cold, they listened to the sound of rain hitting the window. Their knees were touching, hands resting next to each other on the couch. None of the two brave enough to grab the other's hand.

~

Coming back from talking with the video game designers, Mina sighed in relief. She was glad that what they needed was simply an objective point of view. Everything went smoothly once Mina got there and they asked her a few hundred questions.

She sat down on her chair. There was a cup of coffee on her desk and Mina grabbed it, confused. As soon as she lifted it up, a little paper came with it, stuck under the cup.

_Thank you. Don't stay late. ~T._

A smile bloomed on her face as she brought the cup to her lips and tasted the coffee.

It was sweet. Just the way she liked.

  
***

  
"Our CEO is the best!" Dahyun, the enthusiastic and talented composer of most of the games' music, shouted at the top of her lungs. "I still can't believe she's taking the whole video game division to a ski resort. And I know we're the smallest team in the company but she paid all the expenses too, can she be any cooler?"

Chaeyoung, the lead designer of the team nodded her head in agreement, grinning. "Our game exceeded our expectations so I guess she's rewarding us for that. She's too cute."

"She's been super nice and helpful this past year, I'm glad we had a CEO change to be honest."

Mina adjusted her bags. She refused to put them on the ground, not wanting them to get dirty.

"And you've gotten real close with her, Myoui. She invited you even though you're not a part of the team. What's up with that?" One of the lead programmers, Jeongyeon, wiggled her eyebrows. 

Mina rolled her eyes. "Jeongyeon, next time you ask someone to test-play your games for twelve hours, count me out."

"...No! Wait, I was just kidding! You're the best player that gives useful feedback! Don't leave me~" Jeongyeon clinged to Mina like a koala, whining loudly.

Mina giggled. "I'm gonna drop my bags, stop it!"

Jeongyeon laughed but didn't let go.

"It sort of makes sense they clicked actually, Mina and Ms. Chou are sort of similar." The lead writer, Nayeon chirped in, grabbing Mina's arm and pushing Jeongyeon off the other.

Nayeon was the one Mina was closest to in the office. Both of them started out around the same time in the company and helped each other out which led them to becoming good friends. Mina had missed her a lot the past few months, barely seeing Nayeon since the older girl had to crunch along with the rest of the team to finish up their game on time.

Just as Nayeon finished her sentence, a bus stopped near them. Tzuyu opened the door. "Get in nerds, we need to be there before dinner!"

~

Mina somehow ended up sitting next to the CEO. She was sure Nayeon and the rest of the team had something to do with it, because it was the only seat open when she got in the bus. Not that she was complaining. Nope.

This was fine.

Mina felt her eyes closing after an hour, the bus deadly silent unlike half an hour ago where everyone was singing along to the newest pop song.

Her head fell back as sleep took over, the swaying of the bus making her feel like a baby in a crib. She felt a gentle touch on her cheek pulling her head to rest on Tzuyu's shoulder. Mina kept her eyes closed but sleep didn't come as easy as before. Tzuyu's shoulder was comfy, but her arm was stuck in a weird position between them. Without thinking much about it, she slid her arm between Tzuyu's, hugging her loosely. Tzuyu probably assumed she was sleeping anyway. 

When Tzuyu leaned her head against hers, Mina's lips twitched up. The CEO also closed her eyes to get some sleep, missing Mina's soft smile that was meant for only her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprises

"Aren't you coming?" Mina asked, her hand on the door handle.

The CEO smiled softly at her and Mina–

Was... was her scarf too tight around her neck? Why couldn't Mina breathe? _God..._

"I don't really know...how to skii. You guys go without me."

"You sure, boss?" Jeongyeon's loud voice right behind her startled Mina and she jumped slightly.

Tzuyu chuckled at her reaction and in that moment, Mina kind of wanted to go outside and lie face-down in the snow. It was probably the only effective way for her cheeks to cool down. 

"Yeah, It's fine. Have fun."

"Alrighty then." 

***

Mina had a really good time.

She beat Jihyo's butt at a race, beat _everyone's_ butt in the snowball fight; scored a snowball in Jeongyeon's fully protected head, heroically saved Dahyun from a cruel shot and got rewarded a kiss on the cheek for it. Listened to Chaeyoung whine about not diving in front of the snowball herself so Dahyun would have kissed her instead– making her crush on the girl painfully obvious which amused Mina to no end.

Everyone went back to skiing after the snowball fight got boring. Mina had just pulled her googles down her eyes when she saw Tzuyu staring out of the cabin with a soft smile, a cup of something hot in her hands. She looked so cozy, soft and....

Lonely.

It didn't sit right with her. So with determined steps that left deep footprints in the snow, she walked towards the cabin. She could see the slight confusion (and...panic?) on the CEO's face.

She opened the door and poked her head inside with a nervous grin before getting in. "Hi."

Tzuyu smiled and looked down at her cup. "Hi."

For a few seconds Mina awkwardly stood at the entrance.

"You have snow all over you," Tzuyu laughed and stepped closer. She pushed the snow on Mina's hat and shoulders before her smile turned into something more, and with her warm hands she wiped the water droplets on Mina's cold cheeks. Her hands stayed still much longer than needed, but Mina wasn't about to point that out.

She was screaming. Inside her head, of course. Tzuyu's hands were so warm– 

"Ewhm–" A sound escaped her, in between a whimper and a silent scream. She knew her cheeks were burning hot now, her eyes blurry with tears of embarrassment. _The hell was that sound?_ She swallowed thickly and cleared her throat as she moved away from Tzuyu and walked towards the fireplace.

"Ah..., wow it's so warm!" She basically yelled, kneeling down in front of the fire, warming her hands. _Idiot, of course it's warm. It's freaking FIRE._

Tzuyu didn't laugh at her, which Mina was kind of grateful for.

"So I take it you came inside because you were cold?" She said instead, grabbing her cup from the table and sitting on the couch behind Mina, crossing her legs.

"I–" Mina stumbled over her words. "Well, yeah." She lied, instantly feeling like a truck has run over her when she looked behind and saw Tzuyu with a broken smile on her face. "But I...I also thought you wouldn't mind a little company."

Tzuyu softly chuckled. "l suppose I was feeling a bit lonely..."

"You don't have to." Mina took a seat next to Tzuyu. "Just because we're your employees doesn't mean we can't be friends." Her puffy gloved hands took one of Tzuyu's warm ones in hers.

"I know that, it's just–"

"What?"

"I kind of sprained my ankle a few days ago? It's actually the real reason I'm sitting this out."

"Oh." Mina's eyebrows lifted up.

"Yeah..." Tzuyu looked away.

Awkward silence.

"How did you um...sprain it?"

A look of panic crossed Tzuyu's face. She very obviously tried to hide it but she did a really bad job on it. "I was....So I was uh, walking."

"Hmm. Obviously," Mina giggled, encouraging her to continue.

Tzuyu blinked. "I was trying not to step on legos."

"Wow. Intense."

Tzuyu seemed to relax at her joking tone. "I could've died."

"Glad you didn't. I don't think our company would have survived the aftermath. 'Powerful Young CEO Falls Victim to Legos'. Doesn't sound good."

Tzuyu laughed. "I'm afraid the media outlets wouldn't bat an eye if I died. They aren't very fond of me."

She sighed and leaned back, looking down at her cup. "They've made that very clear by painting me as the foolish, spoiled brat of the family that threw a tantrum to snatch the CEO seat from her brother."

"Can't say I haven't seen those articles." Mina scoffed. "But I know you're nothing like that.–"

"A part of it is true." Under Mina's curious gaze, Tzuyu swallowed thickly. "My brother was supposed to be your new CEO. My mother thought he was a better option since– since I... wasn't in the best shape." Tzuyu laughed as she said this, but Mina couldn't make sense why.

"Oh," 

"It wasn't anything serious. Believe me." Tzuyu said with a smile when she saw the worried look in Mina's eyes. "But even after that, my mother still didn't think I would be capable enough to run a company in a foreign country. In the end, I managed to convince my parents but it drew a wall between us."

A few seconds passed as Mina stared into the hurt in Tzuyu's eyes. There was more she wasn't telling.

"...I'm sure they'll come around."

Tzuyu looked at her and smiled. "I hope so." She yawned and put her cup of hot chocolate down before lying down on the couch, her head on Mina's lap. "Is this okay?" She asked, her eyes closed. 

Mina's fingertips hesitantly touched the CEO's brown locks. Her touch light as a feather, she started running her fingers through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. When she felt bold, she scratched slightly. It drew a chuckle from Tzuyu and Mina's cheeks reddened.

A bit hesitantly maybe– but after a few minutes, Tzuyu grabbed Mina's hand that was caressing her head and locked their fingers. A gentle kiss on her hand almost made Mina jump, and the fact that Tzuyu kissed her hand registered so late that when she eventually realized it, the CEO had already fallen asleep in her lap.

***

Nayeon laughed after Mina told her about what happened at the cabin and how confused she was. "She totally likes you."

Mina didn't know how to reply to that. Not after what happened in the cabin. It did feel like she was being treated a bit differently lately. She shook her head. The looks surely must have been her imagination. But the lipstick stain on her hand surely was not. She loved that shade. Something between pink and red that complimented Tzuyu's lips nicely– 

Mina cleared her throat. "She's my boss."

Nayeon rolled her eyes. "And? As long as it's not an abusive relationship, I see no problem. And oh my god, Mina can we please stop pretending you don't like her? She kissed your hand and your gay heart couldn't even take it." Nayeon then grabbed Mina's hand, turning it around to find the lipstick stain. "Like girl, I bet you didn't wash that. Nasty."

Mina pulled her hand back in lightning speed. "I– was going to...! I must have forgot."

Nayeon gave her the Look™.

Mina's cheeks turned red. "Fine. I like her a little bit." Nayeon lifted an eyebrow smugly. "But what if it doesn't work? We'd be stuck in the same workplace until she eventually transfers me or worse case scenario, fires me. God, she'd definitely fire me." Mina frowned.

"First of all, that girl is so whipped she'd rather fire herself than fire you." Nayeon threw a jelly in her mouth. "Second, I'm sorry, I didn't know we were talking about your high school crush– um, hello? Last time I checked you were both adults. You'll deal with it if it doesn't work out."

"Right. You're right."

"Of course I am. Now, can we please continue the movie? I've been itching to press play for the last two hours."

"It hasn't been that long." Mina glances at the clock on the hotel wall. "Oh. It has. Wow."

Nayeon gave her a look. "You're out of excuses to avoid this now, Ms. Myoui. We talked everything out. Accept your fate and come here."

Mina whined and crawled on the bed next to Nayeon, who had a laptop open in her lap. "Must we really watch a horror movie? What's wrong with a good ol' rom-com? Animation even? Ooh, we could watch–"

"I swear if you suggest a marvel movie I WILL throw you out."

Mina pressed her lips together, eyes wide.

"Yeah, thought so." Nayeon turned her attention back on the screen. "It's not that scary anyway. It's an old movie, the special effects are trash."

"Then why are even watching it?" Mina pouted, hugging Nayeon's arm already.

"Shh, pay attention."

***

Mina shivered as she threw a blanket around herself and opened the door. She slowly shut it, careful not to wake the older girl. 

Nayeon was right, the movie wasn't that scary. Or maybe it was? Actually Mina wouldn't know. She might have watched the lipstick stain on the back of her hand more than the movie, to be honest. Not her fault in the slightest– after her conversation with Nayeon, it hit her that she might actually have a real chance with the CEO. Not just pining after her but really her feelings being returned. It got her so excited that one second she was looking at the lipstick stain on her hand and the other she was suddenly imagining a house by the beach, her wife Tzuyu laughing with her two children, three dogs and two cats running around them in circles.

Uh, point being– Mina decided that before this confidence of hers withered away, she had to confess. It's been eating her up inside for months now and it was getting tiring.

Before she could stop and think she knocked on Tzuyu's door the second she was in front of it. No answer. She knocked a few more times, more timidly now, but Tzuyu still didn't answer.

Not wanting to bother her too much, Mina felt disappoinment taking over her as she pouted and frowned, frustrated.

She looked outside.

The snow looked even more beautiful in the night. How that was possible, Mina had no idea. Everything was silent, Mina could hear her shuddering breaths leaving her trembling lips. Although it was already cold in the hall, when she walked outside the balcony it was even colder– and as she breathed in the fresh air, Mina closed her eyes.

"–I know. Yeah."

Her eyes fluttered open at the voice, speaking in almost hushed whispers. Mina looked to her right and saw Tzuyu just a little far, leaning against the railing. Unaware of her presence, talking on the phone.

Mina's heart immediately started jumping in her chest. Finally. Here was her chance. This was it. Wanting to surprise the CEO, she stealthily took a few steps forward.

"Aw. I miss you too, baby."

She froze.

"I promise to make it up to you when I come back." Tzuyu then spoke in a baby voice, exceptionally sweet as she talked with whoever was on the phone. "I know. I know. Okay. Mhm. But. You really should stop calling me at night." She chuckled, and Mina saw her fingers drawing shapes on the railing. "Does Seolhyun even know you're calling? Okay, go to sleep now, it's late. I love you too, baby. Yeah, I wuv you. Sweet dreams."

Mina never ran quieter and faster in her life. With her heart beating in her ears, she jumped back inside and basically ran to her room before Tzuyu could even catch a glimpse of her. Mina felt her heart sink as she leaned back against the door. Tzuyu's sweet words repeated on and on and on inside her head. She held her face between her hands and breathed deeply– cursing herself for eavesdropping on a private conversation of her boss.

Her boss that she was going to confess to.

She felt her throat tighten up, her eyes stinging as she slid under the covers. She tried to sleep but her mind was too occupied by the thoughts of Tzuyu with a faceless stranger.

***

It was ridiculous.

Ridiculous how she avoided Tzuyu for the rest of the trip. Ridiculous how her heart could even endure Tzuyu's kicked puppy face every time she gave her the cold shoulder.

It was also ridiculous how she felt so so angry.

"What is up with you?" Jeongyeon asked, bumping her shoulder.

"Nothing."

"You've been glaring at the snow for ten minutes like it betrayed you and your whole family."

"It's nothing."

"Did Nayeon do something last night? Is that why–"

"No." Mina sighed. She was _not_ going to snap at Jeongyeon who was just trying to be a good friend. "I'm okay. Nayeon didn't do anything."

The trip went rather quickly with Mina completely ignoring and avoiding Tzuyu. Tzuyu stopped trying after a while and although it made Mina feel horrible, maybe this was how it always should have been. Just a CEO and her employee.

Days passed in the office: watering her cactus, drowning in paperwork and occasionally testing games for Jeongyeon, emptying the coffee machine in a day since Tzuyu didn't stop her from her excessive caffeine intake anymore. Her lunches were usually spent alone now, mostly in the office and occasionally outside.

They were exceptionally busy the last few days, thanks to a trash article publishing horrible untrue facts about the company but mostly its CEO. The article had pointed out several mistakes the CEO made since the start of the year and had taken quotes out of context– making her look like something she definitely was not. Tzuyu's family was interviewed at some point too for the same article. But what they said weren't exactly helpful in her case. Quite the opposite, actually. Normally, if this was published by a small media outlet, it wouldn't have gotten much attention. But since it was one of the 'most successful'...

After the uproar it caused, a few articles followed the original for more clicks– making things worse.

A few of their investors had arguments with the head of the company and there were people coming in and out of the CEO's room constantly. Their stocks dropped, everyone was so on edge but no one was as frustrated and upset as Tzuyu.

A selected few of the company's employees tried to make things better for the CEO, leaving her flowers, cookies and cards of encouragement. The tired smile on Tzuyu's face as she thanked them was heartbreaking. (Mina might have also slipped in a cookie of her own into the basket with a note– but Tzuyu didn't know that)

It was easy to avoid Tzuyu when she was this busy. (Even with how much Mina wanted to burst inside that room and tell the stressed CEO she was nothing of those terrible things they were saying she was)

But there were times she couldn't simply avoid her. Mina had to be professional. Which was why when Tzuyu had asked her to her office, she didn't hesitate to open the door.

"You asked for me?"

"Yes, uh– please." Tzuyu gestured the couch and Mina felt a tiny bit of something stinging when Tzuyu sat on the farthest spot from her. "Since last week– since that day at the skii resort, I have....noticed you've been a little distant from me." Tzuyu looked down, and Mina now could see better how much the CEO was exhausted. Had she been losing sleep over this? "And I understand why. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. I never intended for that. Never. I just thought–" Tzuyu's usual confident posture was nowhere to be seen as she slouched more and more, as if she was embarrassed or worse: hurt.

Mina hated seeing it so much. She was the one who was supposed to be hurt. She was the one whose feelings were constantly played. 

Technically, even if Tzuyu was in a relationship, she hadn't really been cheating. Things never went anything further than friendship between the CEO and her but there were times that– times that felt more. And it made Mina sick to the stomach when she realized all this time, there was _someone else_–

Mina stood up. "If that's all, Ms. Chou?"

"Mina–" Tzuyu sighed, her eyes teary as she looked up at her. She swallowed, very obviously holding back the words she really wanted to say. "....Yes. That's all." Her voice was coming out choked, rough. She stood up and walked back to her desk, her heels clacking against the floor with remorse. "I'm sorry. You can go."

As soon as Mina walked out, her eyes welled up. Frown on her face, she immediately went to the bathroom. 

Maybe it was the way she opened the door so aggressively, but Nayeon's scared reaction was priceless. She might have laughed if she didn't just had her heart broken.

"Christ, Mina! We _need_ that door–"

Mina's frown deepened and deepened until she finally started sobbing. Her cheeks were already wet when Nayeon pulled her in a hug. "_Oh_... don't cry. What happened? Why are you–"

Mina buried her face in Nayeon's chest, her arms tightening around her waist. "Tzuyu..."

"Ah...that." Nayeon caressed her back, soothing her with her gentle touch. Her voice was soft and worried as she asked: "Finally ready to talk why your crush suddenly became your nemesis?"

***

"And then Nayeon told me I might be assuming things." She scoffed. "Please. That call was obviously from someone more than a friend."

Ray barked.

"I know. I didn't think Tzuyu as someone who could ever cheat on her partner either. But that phone call was different. She was all so sweet and glowing and... and cute while talking to whoever that was."

Jumping up on the bed, Ray wagged his tail and got comfortable next to Mina, snuggling to her side. He grumbled lowly.

Mina chuckled, petting her adorable dog. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe I really should have asked her. But we're not even dating. What was I supposed to even say?"

Her phone started ringing.

Mina frowned, no one calls her this late. Ever.

She glanced at the phone and saw Tzuyu's name on the screen.

There were four options why Tzuyu could be calling her at 11:43 pm: 

1\. she was drunk,

2\. she wanted to mend things,

3\. she was drunk and she wanted to mend things

4\. there was a company emergency.

Either way, Mina decided to accept the call and brought the phone close to her ear, caressing Ray's soft fur with her other hand. "Hello?" She spoke, softly and worried.

_"Hewwo? Can you he'p me?"_

It was a child. ...Why was a child calling her from Tzuyu's phone?

"Who's this?" Mina sat up on the bed, frowning.

_"Mo-Mommy fell down."_ The kid was crying from what Mina could tell. _"She needs he'p."_

Her coat was already in her hand as she ran out. "Alright honey, slow down. Are you home? Are you and your mom in Tzuyu's house?"

_"Yes. Home. My...My mommy is–"_

"Can you give the phone to your mommy for me?" Mina grabbed Sana's car keys she luckily borrowed earlier today and pressed the elevator button and got inside.

_"Mommy?... Mommy?"_ Mina heard the toddler say, probably calling to her mother. _"She– She's going back to s'eep now."_

Mina ran outside and got into Sana's car, starting it up. "That's alright, sweetie. I'm on my way. I'll be there with more help, okay? Keep an eye on mommy. Can you do that for me?"

_"Yeah."_

"Good. You're a smart girl. I'm gonna call the ambulance now, okay? Can you open the door when I get there?" Mina tried not to drive too fast, desperately trying to remember Tzuyu's address from the few times she dropped her off.

_"Mhm."_

Mina called an ambulance as she drove to Tzuyu's place, keeping the little helper on the other line. When the emergency line asked her if the patient was conscious, Mina asked the toddler again to be sure. "Is your mom still sleeping, honey? Is she alright?"

_"She's awake a wittle...– Are you al'ight, mommy?"_

"Tell her help is coming, we're almost there."

_"He'p is coming, mommy. It's okay."_

The way the baby was speaking to her mother was breaking Mina's heart. Maybe that was what pushed her to drive just a tad bit faster, worried out of her mind for these people she didn't even know.

When she finally arrived, everything happened so quick: one second she was out of the car, the other she was knocking on Tzuyu's door. "I'm here! Can you open the door for me?"

"Yeah."

A few movements behind the door and Mina saw the face of the little hero. Well...barely. She was hiding behind the door, one eye glaring at her like she wasn't sure if she should let her in.

"Hello."

"Hi," the toddler said softly in her squeaky tiny voice.

"I'm the one you talked to on the phone. I'm here to help your mommy. Can I see her?"

The door opened further and Mina took it as a permission for her to get inside. She took a good look at the baby once she was inside (who Mina now guessed was probably around 4 years old); brown hair messily tied up on top of her head like a tiny fountain, her cheeks full and chubby, wearing a onesie that had puppy prints on it. Adorable. 

If Mina wasn't scared out of her mind for this little baby's mother, she might have just picked her up kissed her on the cheeks or hugged her until she cried.

The toddler ran ahead of her, waddling. Mina waddled behind her– and once they entered the kitchen, Mina's eyes flew open.

There it was, Tzuyu on the floor; her eyes barely open, complexion paler than Mina has ever seen, making pained sounds like she was trying to tell what was wrong with her.

"Tzuyu!" Mina knelt down at her side immediately, feeling her forehead. A fever. She was sweating. Barely conscious...Her blood pressure must have dropped.

After coming to this conclusion, Mina quickly took off her coat and folded it before she put it under Tzuyu's head as a pillow. "The ambulance is coming, alright? You're gonna be okay. Can you tell me what hurts, Tzuyu?" Mina grabbed Tzuyu's legs and lifted them up, holding them in the air to help blood flow to her heart.

Tzuyu's pupils moved to the side and she swallowed, frowning as she weakly pointed to her throat.

"Okay–" Mina could hear the faint sounds of ambulance sirens. It helped her calm down. She rubbed Tzuyu's legs up and down, warming her up. "Try to breathe normally. Calm down your breathing. Come on,"

"Mommy?" The baby stood near Tzuyu's head, tears swimming in her eyes, bottom lip wobbling. Tzuyu lifted her trembling hand to grab the tiny clenched fist.

After a minute or so, there was more color to Tzuyu's skin, her eyes were more focused. It was just then when help arrived. The nurses made Tzuyu sit up who was considerably better than when Mina first arrived. They asked a few questions, Mina answered most of them.

The nurse checked Tzuyu's sore throat. "So she hasn't been this sick at work earlier?"

"No, she seemed fine. Maybe a sore throat but I don't think she had a fever."

"Has she been stressed lately?" When Mina didn't answer immediately, the nurse turned to Tzuyu who was being supported by the other nurse that was checking her vitals. "Have you been under too much stress lately, darling?"

Tzuyu swallowed. "I–..I guess. I don't know."

"Well, your vitals are fine now. Just a bit of a fever but nothing that requires a hospital. Just keep yourself stress-free – don't go to work for at least two or three days and stay hydrated."

Tzuyu frowned at the pain as she swallowed, her voice low and the words barely out of her mouth. "Okay. Thank you," 

The nurses tidied up their equipment and as soon as they left Tzuyu's side, the toddler ran and hugged her. Tzuyu caressed the baby's soft hair lovingly.

Both nurses smiled at the heart-warming sight. "Again, there's no requirement for hospital care but if you insist you're not well and still want to go, it's your choice."

Tzuyu shook her head. "I'm fine."

"It would be wise to still go to the hospital tomorrow and get checked up. What made her sickness worse was very possibly caused by stress but it would be better to be sure in case it's not."

Mina spoke up this time on Tzuyu's behalf. "I'll make sure she goes. Thank you so much for your help."

"Just doing our job. Goodnight ladies."

After the nurses were gone, Mina looked back at Tzuyu who still had the toddler in her lap, sitting on the floor. The little girl's head was buried in Tzuyu's chest, her little fists clenching the soft fabric of Tzuyu's shirt.

Tzuyu had a daughter.

Millions of thoughts flew across Mina's mind before she could register any of it, and everything stopped when Tzuyu lifted her head up to meet her eyes. The toddler– Tzuyu's _daughter_ must have sensed the movement of her mother because she too then lifted her head up to stare at her.

Tzuyu couldn't hold the eye contact for too long and looked away like she was ashamed. Meanwhile, the toddler left her mother's side, waddled over to Mina and hugged her legs.

"Thank you for he'ping my mommy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dont ask me how this office au suddenly turned into a single parent au , i honestly dont know lmao
> 
> Big thanks to @mistermagic for helping me out with this chapter. You're awesome <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mina spends some time with Tzuyu's daughter

"You don't have to stay, I'll be fine."

Mina's lips formed a thin line, slightly annoyed at how difficult Tzuyu was being. "No, I wan–" 

"NO!" Came a child-like screech.

Surprisingly, the protest not only came from Mina but also from Tzuyu's daughter, who crossed her chubby arms and glared at her mother.

"Mommy, you need he'p." The toddler grabbed Mina's leg. "She he'ps."

Just as Tzuyu opened her mouth, Mina cut her off:

"It's fine. Tomorrow's my day off, anyway."

Mina watched as Tzuyu gulped, bringing her hand up to hold her throat as if it would help her with the pain. "That's...even worse." She croaked out.

Mina crossed her arms, "I can spend my day off however I want." She looked down at the toddler whose pose was the same as her: arms crossed, eyes stern but worried. She looked back at Tzuyu. "And I want to spend it helping you to get better."

"But–"

Mina ignored Tzuyu, crouching down to the toddler's level. She smiled, trying to look as friendly as she could. "Can I know your name?"

The toddler, a little taken aback by the sudden attention, took a step back, "M-Me'odi," she mumbled.

"Sorry, what?"

"Me'odi."

Mina knitted her eyebrows and looked at Tzuyu. "Melody?" After a nod of confirmation that came from the mother, Mina turned back to the toddler with a smile.

"That's a very beautiful name."

"Thank you."

"Melody." Tzuyu called, holding onto the table to push herself up. "Time for bed. Go brush your teeth, honey."

"Okay." The toddler ran out of the kitchen almost instantly. She then came right back, walking up to Tzuyu, looking up at her. Mina thought her neck must have hurt because of how tall Tzuyu was. "Mommy should s'eep too."

Tzuyu smiled and caressed her daughter's hair. "Yeah. I will."

Mina watched as the toddler left again, leaving her and Tzuyu alone in the kitchen.

Their eyes met, but with Melody gone, the awkward tension quickly filled the void.

"Thank you," Tzuyu said, already averting her eyes.

Mina's eyes softened. "I know your throat's hurting right now. We can talk tomorrow. It's okay."

The CEO looked down and nodded. Mina saw a glimpse of the water pooling in Tzuyu's eyes before she turned her back to her. Tzuyu's hand then reached up to her face, probably to wipe her tears.

Suddenly, there was nothing Mina wanted more than to hug her. 

But she held back. "I....I'll tuck Melody in. You can barely stand, so..."

Not waiting for a response, Mina went out of the kitchen. 

"Her room's the other way." Tzuyu's hoarse voice called out, sniffling.

Making a full 180° turn, Mina's cheeks reddened. "Right. Of course it is."

Melody's room had...everything a child her age would love to have. There was a big lego set in the corner(which Mina honestly wanted to take a closer look at), a toy stove, hundreds of cars neatly placed side by side on a table near the huge, complicated racing track... Her bed was actually one of the car beds too, the ones Mina saw in commercials.

_Wild guess but maybe Melody likes cars?_

...everything in the room looked so expensive that Mina was afraid to touch anything. This room was slightly out of place compared to the rest of the apartment. Overall, the apartment was modest. Way too modest for a CEO and a known member of an important family such as the Chous. Especially when they probably had enough cash to live in a mansion rather than...this.

But Mina found the apartment cozy, there was just something about it that made it feel...homey. Which, really mattered a lot more than living in a huge mansion without the same homey feeling.

She felt a pair of eyes staring at her. She turned to the observer, Melody, who stood near the door– her pajama sleeves soaked. A little accident while brushing her teeth, maybe? 

Mina pressed her lips together and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Uh..your room is really...cool." Wow this felt awkward. When was the last time Mina interacted with a kid anyway? This was definitely going to be a disaster. To be fair, no one warned her about...well, this.

Melody didn't smile. She looked down, and her little baby belly stuck out. "Is mommy going to be okay?" She asked, wearing a sad frown.

Mina's brain stopped working.

The toddler started to tear up when she didn't receive a response instantly.

It snapped Mina out of it, and she took a few steps towards the baby until she was in front of her. She crouched down to her level, grabbed her tiny hands and smiled. "Of course she is. Your mommy just caught a little cold but don't worry, okay? Tomorrow I'll get her to be better in no time!" She grinned, lifting an eyebrow. "Not to brag but my chicken soup is quite famous."

"Mommy...mommy makes chicken sou' too."

"Really?"

Melody frowned in disgust. "But it's weally bad. I don't like chicken sou'."

Mina held her breath for a moment, trying desperately not to laugh. The image of CEO Chou Tzuyu trying to cook something for a grumpy, hungry toddler and failing terribly was just far too amusing for some reason. 

"I'm probably a better cook than your mom. Maybe you'll like it this time."

Melody shook her head.

"Alright," Mina chuckled. "I think we need to change your pajamas before bed. These ones look a little wet."

Melody looked down at her puppy printed pajamas. "Okay."

After figuring the baby's pajamas would be in the drawer, Mina opened one. 

So. Many. Clothes.

Her hand hovered over the many choices, trying to figure out how babies are supposed to dress.

Suddenly a pair of hands slid in next to hers, grabbing the duckie pajamas. Mina watched as Tzuyu's hooded eyes blinked, her hair falling in front of her face– baby hairs stuck to her forehead due to sweat. 

Although she clearly looked to be in pain, she smiled at Melody as she approached her, Mina close behind. "What about these?" She said as she showed her the clothes, her voice barely coming out.

Melody nodded with a small smile before she put her hands in the air. "I like ducks."

Tzuyu hummed as she grabbed her daughter's pajamas and pulled them up. Melody made a small sound of protest, her bottom lip sticking out.

"What's wrong?"

As soon as Tzuyu asked that, Melody looked straight up at Mina.

"Oh, sorry .." Mina mumbled, turning away to give the toddler some privacy.

"Kiss?"

Mina was unsure why, but she immediately turned back around at the sound of the word.

Tzuyu smiled down at her daughter as she tucked her in– Mina had never seen the CEO's eyes looking so soft. "I'm sick..ba...y" She lost her voice before she could finish her sentence and Mina took this as her cue.

Placing one hand on Tzuyu's shoulder supportively, Mina leaned down to speak to the toddler. "If she kisses you, you might get sick tomorrow too."

Melody clutched onto her bunny plushie as she giggled. "You can't get sick fwom kisses, siwwy!"

Tzuyu opened her mouth but Mina squeezed her shoulder, not letting her talk with whatever's left of her voice. "You can, if they're from sick people."

The joy on Melody's face melted into a frown. She looked at Tzuyu and opened her tiny arms. "Hug?"

"Not sure that–"

This time Tzuyu slipped away from her grip and leaned down to give her daughter a hug. Mina watched as they hugged, Melody's tiny arms barely able to wrap around her mother's neck. After a few seconds Tzuyu pulled away with a smile and lovingly caressed her daughter's cheek before pulling the covers up.

As they left the room, Mina debated whether she should say goodnight to Melody or not– and when she came to the conclusion that she should, it was already too late. Tzuyu shut the door.

The CEO leaned against the wall, her hooded eyes and constant intake of deep breaths worrying Mina more than she wanted to admit.

"You should sleep."

Tzuyu gave her an unexplainable look. Worry creased her brow as her eyes glistened, tears ready to flow any second– Mina knew what she was thinking about.

"It's okay." She reassured kindly. "I understand." 

Tzuyu sniffled, pushing herself off the wall. When she staggered a bit, Mina caught her forearm. Her other hand firmly gripped the CEO's waist, supporting her as they walked to the bedroom. 

During their walk, Mina felt a little self-conscious about a lot of things. Was she being inappropriate? Was the touching too much? Was she crossing a line with her boss? Where was Tzuyu's girlfriend/boyfriend? Shouldn't they be here, taking care of her when she's sick like this? Not to mention her daughter.

Tzuyu had a daughter. 

It was still a bit hard to believe but with how Melody really had Tzuyu's soft doe eyes (and the same excited glint in them) and her warm smile– you had to be blind to deny she was Tzuyu's child. 

Mina had never imagined Tzuyu as a mom (except for maybe that one time she daydreamed about them having kids together but that one doesn't count). It was all very new. A lot of things started to made sense...

Wait...

Was Melody the real reason Tzuyu fell out with her family?

Before she could further think about that, they entered the bedroom. Tzuyu pointed to a drawer. "..ou can...ta.. t.." Words got lost in Tzuyu's mouth, her voice coming and going.

Mina looked at where she was pointing. "You need something from there?" 

Tzuyu shook her head as Mina helped her sit on the bed. She pointed at Mina. 

"I need something. Is that it?" She walked towards the drawers with a confused frown. She pulled the top one. 

A sound of protest from Tzuyu came but it was too late.

"Sorry!" Mina shut the drawer after she caught a glimpse of Tzuyu's underwear. She blushed red. God, this was so unprofessional. What is she even doing here–

Tzuyu coughed. 

Right. Of course. 

Maybe Nayeon was right. Maybe she is whipped.

"This one?" Mina asked, holding the handle of the bottom drawer, praying she got the right one this time.

Tzuyu nodded.

A blanket and a pillow. Two pairs of pajamas.

Mina turned back to Tzuyu and smiled. "Thanks."

The CEO slid under the sheets as Mina stood up awkwardly. 

Mina watched her. The sheets were up to her shoulders, her hands clutching the ends. Her hair was down– sprawled over the pillow, her cheeks a bit red due to the fever. The frown on her face was gone, but she didn't look very relaxed. She was trembling.

She didn't know when she started walking but Mina found herself standing beside the sick girl. She carefully sat down on the side of the bed. "Is there anything I can do for you? Should I bring you medicine?" Her fingers grazed Tzuyu's forehead, gently wiping her sweat. 

Tzuyu shook her head.

With a heavy sigh, Mina's thumb traced the smooth skin of Tzuyu's cheek. "Try to get some sleep, then... I'll see you in the morning."

***

Mina had no idea how many hours she slept. She just knew it wasn't enough because her eyes were still heavy in the morning, begging her for more shut-eye.

She knew there was bags under her eyes, she just hoped they weren't so severe.

When she woke up, Tzuyu was still sleeping. She tiptoed out of the bedroom...

That's right– bedroom. 

Tzuyu's fever didn't go down for a long time, preventing the CEO from getting a good night's sleep. After Mina heard her whimpers and frustrated groans coming from the sick girl's bedroom, she got up from the couch she was lying on and went to check on her ...friend? Boss? Doing all this kind of felt like they were close friends.

She ended up tending to her all night. Putting a damp towel on her forehead and changing it once in a while, keeping her comfortable. Helping her to the the bathroom if she wanted to go.

Tzuyu was half-awake through most of it so there was little chance of her remembering. Mina wouldn't mind it. It would be best for both of them, perhaps.

Mina yawned as she entered the living room. Once her feet hit something, she looked down with sleepy eyes to see it was a lego brick.

Letting her tired eyes finally focus, Mina looked around the messy room that could be mistaken for a booby trap– lego bricks and pieces all over the place. The culprit of the crime sat in the middle, surrounded by tiny cars and lego characters. 

"Hi."

Melody looked up. "Hewwo."

Avoiding stepping on any of the bricks, Mina walked towards Melody and crouched down to see what she was building. "What are you building?"

"I'm buiwding a... gawosh."

Mina frowned. What the hell is a gawosh?? Oh wait...

"You mean... a garage?"

"Mhmm." Melody nodded, searching around for a brick. They all looked the same but Mina guessed she was looking for a specific color.

"Have you built a garage before?"

Melody nodded again, puffing her cheeks in frustration once she couldn't find the color she was looking for, settling on a different one. "I buiwt one with mommy befo'e."

"Really?" Not allowing herself to imagine the adorable scene that was Tzuyu building legos with her daughter, Mina tried focusing on something else. "How old are you, Melody?"

"Thwee."

"You're three?"

"And a hawf."

"You're three and a half? Wow, you're a big girl aren't you?" Mina giggled. From the way Melody barely met her eyes as they talked told her that the baby was still a bit shy around her.

Mina didn't want to overwhelm the toddler, so she stood up. Just as she was about to walk away, Melody grabbed her pajama pants. "You can pway with me if you wa't."

Looking down at the baby's tiny hand clutching her pajama leg, Mina found her insides all mushy. With a suppressed smile she crouched down and cleared the floor of bricks so she could sit down.

She poked the baby's chubby tummy. "I'm actually a lego expert, you know. I built the Stranger Things set in less than two days."

Melody looked at her for a few seconds in complete silence, her mouth slightly open. "I can...I'm..." she stuttered, smashing two bricks together. "I'm an espoot too."

Mina almost howled in laughter but she didn't want to offend the toddler so she forced herself to tone it down to a loud chuckle. "Espoot! My god..."

Melody paid no attention to the fact the adult next to her was desperately trying to hold in her laughter, hiding her grinning face behind her hands.

They had only built one garage when Mina's phone buzzed. She reached over and grabbed her phone from the couch. 

It was Sana.

**Sanashine [9:37am]**

_Minaring... where is my car? I came to pick it up this morning but you weren't there..._

Her messages were followed by a hundred crying emojis. Mina scrolled down quicker after she read Sana asking about her car for the third time, written in all capitals. 

**Sanashine [9:44am]**

_Met your neighbor Momo, a real hottie I must say.. _

Fire emoji, fire emoji, fire emoji.

**Sanashine [9:45am]**

_She single?_

_Nvm I'll ask her_

**Sanashine [9:48am]**

_lol got a booty call or something???? There could be no other reason you're not home on your day off_

Past that message was eyes emoji all over which Mina almost facepalmed at.

**Sanashine [9:56am]**

_Honestly though is everything okay, darling? Text me back as soon as you can please,_

Mina's eyes softened immediately. 

With her warmth and caring nature of hers that was unrivaled, it was truly inevitable for Sana to not have a soft spot reserved for her in Mina's heart. Mina had always wanted an older sibling, and Sana had become the closest to that over the years.

She started typing out a fake reason, figuring Tzuyu probably wouldn't appreciate letting anyone know about what happened. Even if Sana didn't even work at the company.

**[11:02am]**

_I'm alright, honey <3_

_And yes I still have your car and no it wasn't a "booty call". I had an emergency I needed to take care of._

Sana immediately wrote back:

**Sanashine [11:02am]**

_"emergency" to take care of ...mmkay_

Mina was really starting to hate the eyes emoji.

**[11:03am]**

_...anyway _

_Where should I drop off your car?_

As they discussed the right place for them to meet up, Mina suddenly thought it was kind of.... quiet.

She looked beside her and as expected, Melody was gone.

"Melody?" She searched around the room with her eyes, slightly worried.

She figured the toddler must have went to Tzuyu. The sounds that came from the bedroom confirmed her suspicions, and Mina breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Mommy..." She heard the baby whisper, making her halt in the middle of the hallway. "Mommy, I have to pee..."

Mina heard sheets ruffling. "Okay," Tzuyu's voice was still hoarse but a lot better than yesterday which made Mina feel proud. Maybe the hours of sleep she sacrificed did make a difference.

The mother and daughter came out of the room hand in hand. Mina stood still when her eyes met with the CEO's and Tzuyu sent her a grateful smile that held so much affection– much like the ones she always used to give her before the whole avoiding thing.

It seemed like Tzuyu remembered enough about last night.

They left for the bathroom and Mina blinked, her stomach clenching with a familiar feeling she always experienced when around Tzuyu.

***

Tzuyu was feeling a lot better, that was for sure. But she was still sick and had a fever that came and went.

So Mina made her lie down on the couch in the living room as she started preparing something warm that would help with her cold.

"We'll need..." Mina read the recipe from her phone. "Carrots, garlic, onions and of course...chicken. Do you think you guys have all that?" She asked, looking down at the toddler standing near her. Melody continued to stare up at her. Her big curious eyes shining.

"Okay..." Mina trailed off as she crouched down to her level, "Can you go ask mommy if she has these things on the list,please?" After giving the toddler her phone and watching her waddle away to the living room, Mina smiled to herself.

As she waited for Melody to come back, she searched the cabinets and grabbed a pot. Filling it with tap water, she turned on the stove, carefully placing the pot on it. 

Melody came running back just after that. "Mommy said we– we have these.."

"Thanks, Melody." Mina smiled at how proud the baby looked. "Do you wanna help me cook soup so mommy can feel better?"

Melody nodded, her chubby cheeks bouncing up and down.

"Okay!" Mina walked towards the fridge, Melody waddling behind her. "Let's check the fridge, yeah?"

Pulling the handle, Mina stepped aside to open the fridge. Melody squeezed past her to get in front. 

"See any carrots?" Mina asked, even though the carrots glared at her openly on the second shelf. 

"Milk." Melody grabbed the milk carton and hugged it, her eyes shining with joy. She extended the milk carton to Mina. 

Mina pressed her lips together. "I don't think we need milk though..."

The glint in Melody's eyes disappeared as she now looked at the milk carton with a disappointed face.

Seeing the way her face fell, Mina felt like she did the most horrible mistake of her life. She quickly tried to fix it. "But– uh, if you want some I could give you a glass of it?"

And now, with Melody holding a glass of milk, supporting a white moustache, they once again stood in front of the fridge.

"Now," Mina sighed, moving her hand and resting it on her waist. "Where are the carrots–"

"Thew!" Melody excitely pointed at the carrots that were out of her reach, almost spilling some of the milk in her glass.

Mina smiled as she grabbed the bag of carrots. "Good job, kiddo. Now we need to find the chicken. I think it should be in the freezer...up here."

Mina gently pulled Melody back and shut the fridge door, reaching up to open the small freezer. 

"But..But I can't see," 

Mina looked down at the toddler that had a milk moustache. Melody stared right up at her, swiping her tongue around her mouth after drinking the last bit of her milk.

Grabbing the empty glass out of Melody's hands and putting it on the counter, Mina raised the toddler up with a small groan. Resting her on her hip bone, Mina felt Melody's small hand clutching her shirt. She was heavier than Mina expected.

"Chicken!" The three year old pointed at the freezer, even though there was no chicken in sight. 

Mina giggled, moving things around in the freezer. "Yes, let's see if it's really here."

After gathering all the ingredients they needed for the chicken soup, Mina started chopping up the onions first. When she was done with that and grabbed the chicken, Melody was suddenly gone. 

She heard the toddler's loud giggles next room where Tzuyu was resting, which brought an involuntary smile to her face.

"There we go," Mina said to herself proudly as she put the lid back on the pot.

12pm. Mina was starving. And surely the other two people in the apartment were too. 

Deciding to check on the said people, Mina checked the soup once more before leaving the kitchen. 

There in the living room was Melody lying on the floor, drawing. Tzuyu was fast asleep, her hair a big mess– It was weird seeing her usually cool and collected boss like that, sleeping with her mouth wide open. 

As Mina stared at her sleeping form, a feeling wrapped around her heart. A feeling so familiar but forgotten. She hasn't felt like this in a long time. Not since she moved out of her parents house. 

"Melody,"

The sound of a pencil being aggressively dragged across the paper stopped as Melody turned her attention to her.

"Let's let Tzuyu rest quietly," Mina whispered, gesturing for the toddler to come with her. "Why don't you color in the kitchen with me?"

"I'm hungwy," Melody told her as she took tiny unbalanced steps towards Mina, clutching her paper in one hand and the pencil in the other with a pouty face.

"The soup should be ready soon."

Back in the kitchen, Melody sat on the dinner table, slamming her paper on the wooden surface. 

Mina hummed a tune as she stirred the soup– it looked very delicious. It smelled delicious too and she was dying to know what Melody and Tzuyu would think.

After turning off the stove, Mina grabbed a new spoon and decided to taste it.

"Oh, I forgot the salt!"

"You fowgot the sawt?"

"Yes," Mina dramatically widened her eyes like she couldn't believe she would do such a thing. "You can't make soup without salt!"

Melody stopped drawing and watched Mina search for the salt. It took the toddler about five seconds to grasp the new information before she nodded. 

No salt = No soup

"No! But you fowgot." The toddler stated as if she knew all along salt was a vital ingredient.

"I did, but it's okay. See, I'm adding it now." Mina reassured with a sigh as she measured the salt.

"Good." Melody approved, mirroring Mina's relieved sigh as she continued drawing with the pink pencil in her hand.

***

"Tzuyu..." Mina gently shook her. 

"Mommy, wake up." Melody hugged Tzuyu's waist, lying on top of the sick woman.

Tzuyu frowned, squeezing her eyes before they fluttered open. "Hey," She spoke, her raspy voice causing Mina's stomach to flutter.

She waved the feeling away. "We brought you some soup."

"Chicken?" Tzuyu straightened up, leaning her back against the stack of pillows.

"Yeah. Melody and I already ate."

Tzuyu sighed, bringing a hand up to her forehead in pain. Her head felt incredibly heavy. "But Melody doesn't like chicken soup."

"I do!" Melody argued a bit louder than necessary. Tzuyu flinched but didn't comment on it. 

"Since when?"

Mina smiled smugly, grabbing the bowl of soup she prepared for Tzuyu. "Since me."

Tzuyu chuckled which soon turned into a series of coughs. 

Mina soothed her back.

"Here," Mina brought the spoon close to Tzuyu's chapped lips. 

Not having the energy to refuse and say she could eat on her own, Tzuyu opened her mouth and let Mina feed her.

Her feverish red cheeks did a good job of hiding how embarrassed Tzuyu was. 

Tzuyu felt guilty. She made this woman (god...her employee) uncomfortable with her advances in a work place, got rejected quite heartbreakingly (and deservedly because how dare she). And now here she was despite it all, taking care of her and her daughter. 

This train of thought put a damp in her mood. It hit her that just because Mina acted friendly now, didn't mean they would go back to being friends once she was better. For all she knew, Mina could be doing this for her daughter Melody.

Either way Mina deserved an award for the kindness she's been showing. 

"Thank you." Tzuyu said with her raspy voice, gulping the last bit of her soup. "That was so delicious."

Mina seemed a little flustered by the sincerity her words were loaded with, a small smile lifting up the corners of her lips. 

"When mommy..." Melody tried her best to form the sentence she wanted to say. "Mommy's chicken soup doesn't taste gwood. It tastes weally...weally bad." 

There was silence for a few seconds as Tzuyu stared at her daughter in complete surprise. "You... little monkey! Come here!"

Grabbing Melody by her arms, Tzuyu pulled her to her lap, tickling the little girl mercilessly. Melody's loud joyous laughter and squeals caused this unexplainable warmth inside Tzuyu's chest, looking down at her daughter's big smiley face staring up at her.

Mina watched them interact, taking in the happy family portrait and saving it to her memory. Tzuyu looked incredibly soft and without meaning to, Mina suddenly found herself imagining what it would be like to wrap her arms around both of them and get her share of the cuddles. 

After witnessing this heart-warming scene and dropping her emotions all over the place, Mina started having second thoughts. It could've been the Nayeon inside her talking, but perhaps she had really misunderstood that phonecall. Because the Tzuyu that Mina got to know over the year (and counting) was the most loyal and respectful person she had ever met. Not to mention the goodness of her heart that one could detect a thousand miles away.

If Mina hadn't heard that phonecall, never in a million years she would've thought Tzuyu was even capable of cheating on her lover. 

Tzuyu hugged her daughter to her chest, landing a tender kiss on her brow. Melody closed her eyes and yawned.

"Afternoon nap."

Melody pouted and put her hands on Tzuyu's chest, pushing herself up. "But I'm not sweepy!"

Tzuyu sighed. "We talked about this–."

"No! You sweep!"

Mina giggled. Tzuyu's eyes lit up at the wonderful sound, instantly filling up her mood meter to the top. Her eyes moved from her daughter to the woman sitting beside her on the couch. 

Just then, they heard jingling keys, followed by the sound of a door closing. 

"Seowyun!" Melody exclaimed, jumping off the couch to run out of the room.

"Hi there Mel," Mina heard a feminine chuckle and a few seconds later, a woman appeared in the doorway with Melody in her arms.

"I got your text," the woman spoke, looking directly to Tzuyu, pecking Melody's chubby cheek. Melody seemed so happy in her arms.

Mina suddenly felt this weird turning in her stomach. 

When the woman came closer and they finally made eye contact, the tall stranger shamelessly looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow. "Uh sorry, who are you?"

Mina had never felt so out of place in her entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you @mistermagic once again for helping me out! Love you uwu


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm... Mina. I-I uh, I just came by to..."

"Check on me." Tzuyu came to her rescue when Mina trailed off. "Melody called her last night. She's been here since." 

"Oh," The beautiful woman's eyes went between the two of them and finally settled on Tzuyu, a confused look on her face.

"Mina. This is Seolhyun, she's a friend of mine from back home. "

"I'm also her mentor, no matter how much she hates it." Seolhyun smiled at Mina who looked a bit lost. "It's nice to meet you, Mina."

Mina nodded. "Likewise."

Seolhyun moved closer to the CEO and kneeled down beside the couch, Melody still in her arms. "So,"

With Mina still sitting beside Tzuyu, Seolhyun was just...too close...to both of them. 

"You okay, now? You sound better than when I called you this morning..." Tzuyu's mentor whispered, her voice soft and kind. From the way they were looking at each other, Mina assumed she was supposed to pretend she wasn't hearing any of their conversation. She looked away.

Tzuyu hummed. "Thanks to a certain someone,"

Mina stopped blinking. She slowly turned her head and let her eyes meet Tzuyu's, taking in the small grateful smile on her lips and the way her eyes were shining– Mina opened her mouth slightly to say something but the look Tzuyu was giving her simply tongue-tied her.

The other woman in the room watched their little staring contest, curious. Meanwhile, Melody got bored and wiggled in Seolhyun's arms, squirming out of her hold. With wobbly steps she left the room and Seolhyun let her.

It was Mina who averted her eyes first, after not being able to say anything at all for almost a minute.

Tzuyu's smile grew at the sight of a blushing Mina, her dimple appearing. Then suddenly she started coughing, shielding her mouth with her arm. It sounded painful.

Supporting a concerned look on her face, Seolhyun gently rubbed circles on Tzuyu's back.

Mina stared at the two of them for a moment, her gaze fixed on the hand caressing the CEO's back. "I'll go get her some water."

But before she could even get up, Melody came running into the room. A baby blue sippy cup full of water was in her tiny hands and on her way she spilled some of it. "Here mommy," The toddler pushed between Mina and Seolhyun and tried to give her mother the sippy cup, doing her best to climb up on the couch.

After one last cough, Tzuyu chuckled. "Thank you, baby. I'm fine now." She cleared her throat and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. 

Melody didn't say anything back. She just drank from her sippy cup instead and once again waddled out of the room. Mina couldn't help the smile on her face.

"I see Mina had a tiny assistant to help take care of you for the day," Seolhyun playfully poked Tzuyu's cheek. 

Tzuyu giggled. But after catching the unsure look in Mina's eyes she slowly stopped, suddenly remembering how big of a shock it probably was for her employee to meet Melody. Tzuyu still didn't know what she thought of all...this. Yeah, Mina did stay and that said a lot about her opinion but still, the whispers of doubt inside Tzuyu's head somehow drowned out her logic.

And much to her inside voices surprise, Mina tilted her head and fondly spoke. "Yeah. Melody is...really cute."

Tzuyu bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling like an idiot, sniffling. Mina was just so...perfect. Beautiful.

"Oh, she acts cute when she's around strangers. When she's around us though," Seolhyun laughed. "She's a tiny monster, believe me. You just don't know her well yet."

Mina tried not to get offended by the comment. She really did. But the way Seolhyun said it... there was something in her tone that irked her. 

And not to mention, the '_us_' in the sentence and the possible meanings it could have under it gave Mina an upset stomach. Did Seolhyun also live here?

"Stop exaggerating. Melody's just being a toddler most of the time. It's totally normal." Tzuyu defended her daughter, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, okay. If you say so." Seolhyun rolled her eyes with an amused smile. 

Mina's phone suddenly buzzed. She flinched before she quickly fished it out of her pocket, dismissing the alarm. "It's time for your medicine."

"Ah, It's alright. I don't think I even have a fever anymore. I feel fine." She sniffled, her voice dry. "Just a runny nose and a itchy throat. Nothing my body can't handle on its own."

Mina softly smiled. Knowing Tzuyu hated taking medicine, she didn't want to push her. Instead, she grabbed the thermometer from the table near them and started shaking it. "Just to be sure."

Mina could feel Seolhyun's eyes watching her with interest for a while, a smile most would describe as charming lifting up the corners of her lips. 

And maybe that smirk had been a hint because really, Mina shouldn't have been surprised at all (but she definitely was) when Seolhyun leaned in close and her lips tenderly pressed against Tzuyu's forehead, lingering for a few seconds.

Mina stopped shaking the thermometer. She watched as Tzuyu's eyes first closed and then opened right away as she looked up, a little confused.

Seolhyun pulled back and hummed. "Yup, no fever."

Tzuyu rubbed the spot Seolhyun basically kissed, throwing a puzzled look at her mentor.

"I uh," Mina extended the thermometer to Tzuyu with her cold as ice eyes, unable to hide her feelings towards this show of affection and closeness the CEO shared with her mentor. "I still think–"

"Yeah." Tzuyu gladly grabbed the thermometer, clearing her throat. "I don't trust Seolhyun." She joked with an unsure smile, trying to get rid of the sudden awkwardness in the air.

"Now that's just a big fat lie. You love me." Seolhyun played along, giggling. She still had this... _smugness_ in her smile and Mina felt irritated by it. She stayed silent though. There was no need to create a scene. And what would Mina do that for anyway?

After checking the thermometer and confirming that Tzuyu indeed had no fever, Mina stood up with a sigh. She felt like she was overstaying her welcome now that there was someone else in the house. And besides, she still had to give Sana her car back.

As she was trying to come up with a believable excuse to leave, she saw Melody sitting in between all the legos on the floor. The toddler was happily drinking water from her sippy cup and coloring, clearly not in the mood to play with her toys anymore. 

Mina looked around the room. It was a mess. Knowing she'd feel bad if she left Tzuyu to tidy this place up, she crouched beside Melody. Picking up a few little cars from the floor, she spoke, "Come on Melody, let's put these back."

"No!"

Mina frowned, confused. "But you're not playing with them anymore and we should tidy up." She grabbed the toy basket and put the cars she was holding inside it. "Won't you help me?"

"No. I don't want to!" Melody yelled, clenching the pink pencil in her hand tighter, turning the next page of her coloring book.

To say that Mina was shocked would be an understatement. Melody had been a sweetheart all day. What was going on?

"Melody, remember what I told you?" Tzuyu intervened with a gentle, careful tone. "The toys get lonely when you're not playing with them. But if you put them in the basket, they'll be happy because they'll be together."

Mina turned to softly look at Tzuyu, unable to stop thinking about just how cute she was as a mother. Seeing her CEO under this new light...well, it was something. 

Tzuyu didn't notice Mina was staring, instead she was having a stare off with her daughter. It ended with Melody ripping the basket out of Mina's hands and scaring the hell out of her.

"Tows a' happy!" Melody yelled with a frown, turning the basket upside down and spilling every toy inside it on the floor, creating a pile right in front of a surprised Mina.

"Melody..." Tzuyu sat up straighter on the couch, furrowing her eyebrows. 

Mina helplessly looked between the mother and the daughter, worried of what was to come next and thinking what she could say.

With a pat on Tzuyu's thigh, Seolhyun walked towards them, crouching down beside Melody. "If you help Mina and I clean up, I might have a little present for you." She said, booping the toddler's tiny nose.

"What is it?"

Seolhyun shook her head. "I can't tell you until all the toys are happily back in the basket. But it's something you really really like." She winked.

Melody lit up visibly as if she knew what Seolhyun was talking about, and like the small ball of energy she was, she jumped on the balls of her feet and grinned. "Okay!" 

Mina giggled as she watched Melody hug the pile and pick up as many toys as she could, dropping them back in the basket. She ran around collecting toys and wobbling back to Mina, who now had the basket in her lap. Mina high-fived Melody each time she put a toy inside the basket. Melody seemed to greatly enjoy this, giggling each time Mina praised her.

"Thank you,"

Mina turned her head when she heard the whisper. But Tzuyu wasn't looking at her. She was smiling gratefully at Seolhyun. After watching the said woman smile back at the CEO, Mina turned her attention back on Melody.

After so many high-fives and laughter and every single toy was back in the basket, Melody ran and hugged Seolhyun's legs.

"Pwesent!" She demanded with a grin, looking up at the tall woman.

Seolhyun laughed at the death grip the tiny girl had on her leg. She leaned down and.picked her up. "Ready?"

Not losing the huge grin on her face, Melody nodded.

Tzuyu and Mina both let out a noise of protest as Seolhyun threw Melody up in the air then swiftly caught the baby in her arms. Melody screamed in joy and laughed loudly when Seolhyun let go of her again and landed back in the woman's arms safely.

"I told you not to do that!" Tzuyu said, clutching the blanket on herself. "What if you can't catch her and she falls?!"

Mina pulled her arms back to her sides and shook her head slightly to fix her bangs, acting like she wasn't just ready to jump and save the baby from a very possible fall.

"You worry too much," Seolhyun smiled, kissing Melody's chubby cheek before putting her down. "I only let go of her for barely a second, it's fine." Seolhyun looks back at Melody who's still giggling. "And she likes it."

The toddler puts her hands up. "I like it!" 

Tzuyu sighed and honestly, Mina understood her anger. If someone threw her dog, Ray, up in the air like that when he was just a tiny puppy, she would've been angry too. 

"Melody likes a lot of things." Tzuyu started, her voice still rough, "Most of them aren't exactly _safe_ for a three-year-old."

"Okay, okay. Geez. Message recieved." Seolhyun crossed her arms, lifting an eyebrow at Tzuyu's protectiveness. "Right, Melody?"

"Yeah! Message re-res–_reveesed_." Melody confidently crossed her arms, copying Seolhyun with a grin even though she had no idea what was going on.

Tzuyu's worried look turned into an amused one and she laughed. "Good. Now, it's nap time. Come on," Tzuyu slowly started to stand up from the couch but Mina was quick to push her back down.

"It's fine. I'll tuck her in,"

Surprised, Tzuyu nodded. A small smile played on her lips as she watched Mina approach Melody. 

"I don't want s'eep!" Melody hid behind Tzuyu's mentor and when Mina leaned down and held her hand out, Melody walked around Seolhyun's legs and escaped with a loud giggle.

After Mina helplessly circled around Seolhyun a few times, trying to get Melody to hold her hand, Seolhyun grabbed Melody and laughed as she picked her up. "Stop playing with poor Mina here, Mel. It's nap time."

Melody squealed and screamed in Seolhyun's arms, not happy her play-time was interrupted. Mina watched Seolhyun carry the toddler out of the room despite her cries as if she was used to it and Mina's heart stung a little.

"Looks like she has things under control here." Mina muttered, "I better go now anyway." Mina checked her phone, desperately wishing there was a new message from Sana to save her from this situation but there was nothing. Still, she sent her a quick text and locked her phone before her eyes caught Tzuyu's disappointed ones staring at her.

"I'm sorry. Melody can get really grumpy when she's sleepy." Tzuyu couldn't find the courage to say just how much she wanted Mina to stay. Her employee had been so kind, she didn't want to take advantage of that. And now that Tzuyu really thought about it, she highly doubted she even had the _right_ to ask her to stay anyway.

"I guess that's something we have in common." Mina joked and the air cleared up a bit between them as they both chuckled.

A few beats of silence passed and Mina bowed slightly. "I'll see you tomorrow at work, Miss Chou. If you're feeling better by then that is. Please don't forget to get checked up at the hospital." With a small smile Mina turned around and grabbed her coat from the corner of the couch. Tzuyu didn't call after her as she left the room, unlocked the front door and walked outside. 

But the CEO _did_ grab her wrist once she was about to shut the door. And immediately let go of it when Mina turned around, her eyes wide.

Tzuyu took a deep breath. It was cold outside her apartment and the blanket she wrapped around herself didn't help much. She gulped down her nervousness and winced when her throat hurt, knowing she didn't have much time until Mina's patience ran out.

"I just wanted to say um...thank you. For today and for everything. And I'm also very sorry. I thought–" She paused, shutting her eyes briefly and shook her head. "No, actually it doesn't matter what I thought. It was wrong of me either way. And I understand if you want to report me. I really do."

"Tzuyu," Mina's eyes softened.

"And about Melody... I'm sorry you had to find out like this. Must have been quite a shock." Tzuyu chuckled softly, breaking eye-contact as she continued talking. "My parents strictly want me to hide her until I established my leadership or whatever. Every piece about her on paper gets silenced by my mother. And they won't even... _talk_ to their granddaughter. She's only three."

Mina wanted to reach out and offer some comfort but she decided it would be best not to. She clutched her coat tighter and looked away for a second, wondering what she could say.

Tzuyu looked up at the ceiling and sighed loudly. Only then Mina noticed the unshed tears in her sad eyes. "I'm sorry," she croaked out, her throat dry. "When it's... about Melody–"

_Screw it._

Going against her previous decision and grabbing Tzuyu's hand in both of her own, Mina nodded with a smile. "I understand. I won't tell anyone about her until you say it's okay."

Tzuyu breathed in shakily and smiled, bringing her other hand on top of Mina's. Her tears didn't fall which she was immensely thankful for. "Why are you still so kind to me?"

"I don't know." Mina admitted with a shrug. "That's just what friends do." At Tzuyu's surprised stare she quickly added, blushing, "I... I assume that's what we are. Friends?"

Tzuyu's tense shoulders relaxed. She tilted her head just a tiny bit. "Are we friends?" She asked in what sounded like awe, resembling an excited kid.

The CEO's soft eyes helped Mina gather enough courage and she bit on her lower lip before looking back up into her eyes. "Are you single?" She blurted out, her own eyes widening as soon as the words left her mouth.

The CEO's eyebrows rose and her lips parted to say something but Mina panicked and took a step back, letting go of her hands. "Sorry! I'm sorry... I don't know why I–"

"I'm single." Tzuyu gave her a tight-lipped smile as if she was trying to hide her grin, her dimple forming happily in her cheek.

"But the...the phonecall?" 

"What phonecall?" Tzuyu frowned, grabbing the blanket around her shoulders and wrapping it tighter around herself.

"Mommy..." Melody appeared behind Tzuyu and hugged her leg, her eyes closed as she leaned her cheek against it.

And in that moment, it finally hit Mina. The phonecall was...Melody. Her daughter. God, did Mina feel stupid. And embarassed. From then on, she promised herself to listen to Nayeon more. And Ray.

Not aware of Mina's inner turmoil, Tzuyu looked down fondly at her daughter and ruffled her hair. "Why are you still awake, baby? Where's Seolhyun?"

"Is mommy leaving?"

Something hurt inside the CEO after she heard the words her daughter muttered, quickly leaning down and picking her up. The baby immediately threw her tiny arms around her neck and hugged her tight. "Mommy isn't going anywhere, don't worry." 

"Good!" Melody pulled back and put her tiny hands around Tzuyu's ear and leaned in. "I love you." She 'whispered', but Mina heard it clear as day and Tzuyu winced at her loud voice, amused.

"I love you too." She whispered, kissing the toddler's hair before catching Mina's stare.

Noticing where her mother was staring, Melody turned to Mina and pointed at her. "Is Mima leaving?"

Mina giggled and brought her hand up to hide it. She leaned forward slightly and poked Melody's leg. "Yeah, I am."

Melody jutted her bottom lip out, her big eyes observing Mina. "Will you come back?"

Mina hesitated. The truth was, she didn't know. She looked up, her eyes finding Tzuyu's. And the bright glimmer of hope she saw in them, anticipating her answer was enough for any doubt inside Mina's heart to vanish.

"I think I might." She said, her eyes still locked with the CEO's as the hint of a smile showed on her face. She turned back to Melody. "Do you want me to?"

"Yeah," Melody looked down with a tiny frown and Mina could only focus on her big droopy cheeks before the toddler got shy and turned away to hide her face in Tzuyu's neck. "You said you...you cou'd buiwd the hous' on it. The hous' on the pi'ture."

Mina frowned for a second, tilting her head. Then she opened her eyes wide in excitement when she understood what the baby was talking about. "Oh, the legos! I didn't know you wanted me to build it for you."

Melody turned just a bit to glance at Mina.

Mina thought it was incredible how shy the toddler could get one second and then turn into an uncontrollable ray of sunshine the next. 

"I'm sorry kiddo," she started, "We'll build it together next time. Is that okay?"

Melody nodded.

Tzuyu adjusted Melody in her arms. "Mina was very kind to offer that, Melody. What should we say in return?"

"Thank you, Mima."

Tzuyu kissed her forehead and smiled. "Good girl."

Mina's biggest wish in that moment was to tell Tzuyu how beautiful she looked. But she couldn't without making things weird, so she saved the sight of Tzuyu with messy hair and pajamas, holding onto her daughter with a soft smile to her memory beside the others, in case a time would come where she could tell Tzuyu everything she ever wanted to.

She smiled at the thought. After the whole phonecall thing, she had to make it up to Tzuyu and explain the best she could. But right now didn't seem like the best time, with Melody searching for affection from her mother after worrying about her more than anyone should at her age.

"I'll go now,"

Tzuyu smiled, her dimple once again appearing and making Mina's heart flutter. "Okay. I hope we can talk more tomorrow?"

"Yeah. That would be great."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank u @mistermagic for once again helping me out :3
> 
> And boy am i glad the phonecall thing is over...now we can finally move on


End file.
